


Shipping game

by Lady_Tyburn



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 23:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7952806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Tyburn/pseuds/Lady_Tyburn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All is not how it seems - "surprisingly (convenient) coincidences"<br/>Yamaguchi ships Kagehina<br/>If you are searching for some plot, some fluff and angst, this is the right place for you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A plan and a lie

**Author's Note:**

> I am still not entirely sure where I am going with this, but it's going to be an emotional rollercoaster ride with a firework at the end.

„They'd look good together, wouldn't they?“

One idea. One sentence. One thought that I rashly transformed into words, quiet words, words that would've faded into nothingness if it wouldn't have been for one person to hear them. 

„Who? Hinata and Kageyama? Where did you get that idea from?“

Why did you have to hear them.

 

„I was just thinking... They are so close, they could be a couple. What do you think?“  
„Heeeh?“  
„Well, their trust in each other, the way they play together, what those two have... is something that you don't see among most married couples. Don't you think there could be something more, something deeper? Like… feelings? Romantic Feelings?“, I sighed as i stuffed the balls back into their container. „I just wonder...“ I paused and thought about my words for a second. „I just wonder why they don't realize it.“  
„They are probably just too stupid“ Tsukki smirked.  
„So you DO agree that they'd look good together? That there COULD be something more??“  
„Not so loud, Yamaguchi!“ Tsukki bent down and picked up another ball from the ground. „You don't want them to hear you.“ I could see slight amusement in his eyes as he dropped the ball into the container. He turned to me. „Do you plan on doing something about that?“  
That was unexpected. Well, not that I expected anything at all, but hearing those words from Tsukki was something that startled me for a second. „Doing something about that“ would mean expending a certain amount of effort, and as long as it wasn't for himself, Tsukki never wasted much energy on doing anything – wait. He talked about me. Me doing something about that. Not him.  
„I'm not sure. There isn't much that I could do anyway. I'll just have to watch and hope for the best.“  
Tsukki laughed. „You don't seem to read much Shoujo.“ What? Shoujo? Since when was Tsukki a fan of Shoujo?  
„I'm not a fan of Shoujo.“  
I jumped. „CAN YOU READ MY MIND?!“  
„You are too loud, Yamaguchi.“ Tsukki gave me an annoyed glance. „Those flies that follow me everywhere these days just can't stop talking about it. They keep going on and on about how they want Protagonist-kun A to finally confess his feelings for Protagonist-san B but at the same time they pity Sidecharacter-kun C because he also is in love with B-san and – you know, all that drama. The point is, all those fictional characters got to realize their feelings by surprisingly convenient coincidences, one could almost believe they were set up especially for them. Do you get what I mean?“  
With „those flies“ Tsukki meant the girls that swarmed around him ever since we got into middle school. Because of his looks and height, Tsukki was awfully popular with the girls in school... And I couldn't stand it. Everytime I gathered all my pride and confidence and tried to approach one, they'd ignore me and ogle him instead, giggling and whispering like he was some kind of celebrity. Tsukki however didn't seem to care about them at all, so I was surprised by how well he remembered the topics they talked about.  
I felt a little sting in my chest.

„All right team, we are finished for today!“  
Daichis loud voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts about me and my failures in the world of ladies. „I'm going to close the gym, so hurry up!“ I rushed to the locker room to get my clothes, followed by the others, everyone, but Hinata. „I can still go! Let me practice more!“  
Kageyama, as expected, was all fired up too. He nodded in agreement. How could those two be like that? Where did they take their energy from?  
As I came back from getting changed, they were still arguing with Daichi – and he seemed to be about to get mad. From across the gym I saw Tsukki already waiting for me at the exit. I hurried over and we headed home together. Normally, some of the others would accompany us, but today we were alone.

It was already dark outside, a sweet and tender summer night, the perfect night for a romantic rendez-vous… If only one had a girlfriend. As we were out of earshot, Tsukki put his hand on my shoulder and came a bit closer.  
„Listen“, he said in a shadowy tone, „if we don't give these fouls a little push, they'll probably never realize their feelings for each other.“  
He came right back to the topic. I wondered what kept him interested in my silly idea, but i had no time to properly overthink his sudden concern.  
„So, are you in?“, he interrupted my thoughts.  
„In for what?“  
Tsukki took his hand off my shoulder and put it in his pockets instead. „We're going to play match-maker, of course!“  
A cool breeze made me shudder for a moment. Some bird noticed us passing by and took wing quickly. Tsukki said it so casually, one could almost think that making two people fall in love with each other was easy.  
„Do you have a special plan?“, i asked suspectingly. Tsukki always had an ace up his sleeve.  
„I've got something in my mind, but the plan still needs to be polished. There is this creepy-looking, long since abandoned mansion somewhere near your place, right? Could we reach it by foot?“  
I was confused.“I dont quite get it..“  
„I believe that it takes two main conditions for two people to realize their love for each other in an instant.“, Tsukki adjusted his glasses and smirked, which made him look an awful lot like some smartass anime character, „ Strong emotions and a room for themselves. There are not many emotions stronger and more suited for this purpose than fear. So how about we-“, he stopped and grinned at me, now being pretty openly enthusiastic about his plan, „How about we invite them to a test of courage. In the mansion. We play some cheap tricks, lead them into a small room and close the door behind them. Then we'll leave them alone for some time, so they can nurture their feelings. Maybe we'll watch. We'll definitely watch.“  
I slowly started to understand what he was getting at.  
We spent the rest of our way home discussing and overthinking the plan until it was basically fool-proof. As we reached Tsukkis house, I was convinced that it would definitely be a succes. I was excited as ever, brimming with impatience, but something was still bugging me. „What do YOU get out of it?“, I casually shouted at Tsukkis back.  
„Me?“, he turned around and gave me that sneering, fake laugh of his, „I just want to have some fun, really.“ He turned his back on me once again, waved over his shoulder and left me standing in the night, alone.  
I didn't care whether he did it just for fun or for whatever reason, i just hoped for the plan to work out properly and for Hinata and Kageyama to end up as a couple. I imagined them showing up at practice with their fingers entwined, the good luck kisses before matches, what cute nicknames they'd give each other, how Kageyama would press Hinata against a wall when – I stopped myself right there. No need for me to let my thoughts drift too far into this direction. I shook my head. One step at a time, Tadashi, and tomorrow shall be the first.

***

„I can't do it!“  
„You can and now go.“  
„They'll see right through me!“  
„Yamaguchi!“, Tsukki said in an annoyed voice and gave me a little push, „It's only an invitiation!“  
Right. Right, only an inviation. Nothing suspicious about an invitation to a sleepover at a teammate's place. We are all guys, after all. Friends. Pals. Why was I so damn nervous?  
I calmed my nerves the best i could, faked a slight smile and walked (even though Tsukki later on stated that it looked „more like a waddle“) across the gym to where Hinata and Kageyama were. 

As always, they were arguing.  
„Your toss was waaaaaaay too high, Kageyama!“, Hinata yelled while raising his right arm over his head, „How am I supposed to spike that?!“  
Kageyama seemed offended. „You just didn't jump high enough, that's all!“  
„I didn't jump high enough?! Maybe you just didn't toss low enough!!“  
„Maybe you are just too fucking short!!“  
„What, Kageyama, you wanna go?“ Hinata jumped into a fighting position. They obviously didn't notice me. I coughed.  
As if lightning struck them, both froze in position and turned their heads to me, obviously scared by the thought that I could be Daichi. Relief showed on their faces as they noticed that it was just me.  
„I wanted to ask -“, I started, but then stopped and looked down on my slightly shaking hands and blushed. I wasn't good at lying.  
Pull yourself together, Tadashi, you must look like a girl confessing to her senpai right now.. They'll sure as hell notice if you don't -  
I looked up.  
„So... My Parents wanted to get to know some of my friends at school, other than Tsukki, so I thought that maybe, since my house has enough room, and I just really like - you know, maybe, and just if you want, but only then, we could have a sleepover? At my place?“  
I forced myself to a rather semi-convincing smile and fought the urge to run away.  
Silence.  
„A SLEEPOVER??!“, Hinata yelled, clunching his fists, his eyes almost sparkling, „I HAVEN'T BEEN TO ONE OF THOSE IN LIKE FOREVER!!“  
Kageyama seemed to be equally hyped about being invited.

Just as hyped as Tanaka and Nishinoya, who apparently had heard Hinata's yell and were now approaching.  
„SLEEPOVER! SLEEPOVER!“, Tanaka shouted, „Are your senpais invited as well?“  
„You better invite us, you see, we are older and therefore much more experienced than you lot and we could surely give you some -“, Nishinoya gave Tanaka a promising glance, „Advice...“  
Tanaka nodded, leaned in and whispered: „You know, how to get cute girls and stuff.“  
This was bad. Advice on how to get girls would be nice, yes, but having Nishinoya and Tanaka participate at our sleepover would ruin our plan.  
„You see – I, uh, I don't – uh..“, I frantically tried to think of an excuse, but couldn't come up with anything good.  
„It's a first year's sleepover.“ Tsukkis voice behind me was harsh and cold and made me turn around quickly, since I hadn't seen him approaching.  
Tanaka pulled a threatening face. „You're not the one to decide here, are you, four-eyes?“  
Tsukki glared back at him. „You're right, it isn't. It's Yamaguchi's decision.“ He put one hand on my shoulder, sqeezing it slightly.  
All eyes wheighted heavy on me. I felt a shudder roll down my spine.  
„Yeah.. Tsukki's right...“, I stuttered. „Sorry“, I added quietly, not daring to look Tanaka or Nishinoya directly in the eye.  
The tension was almost unbearable. Tanaka pulled a threatening face and didn't seem to admit defeat. He locked eyes with Tsukki, who's face had pulled into a sneering grin. I knew that Tsukki would've never engaged in violence, he hated it, but I wasn't entirely sure about Tanaka, who was now rolling up invisible sleeves, supported by a jumping and shouting Nishinoya. 

Luckily, for me, the team spirit and mainly our mission, Sugawara had noticed what was going on and decided to take action. With the purest smile on his face and almost a little skip in his walk he walked over and put one hand on Nishinoya's and Tanaka's shoulder. Both instantly froze in place.  
„Hey!“, he smiled. „What's up here? Shouldn't you guys be practicing?“ He closed his eyes and inhaled. „We have quite the important matches coming up, you know?“ He opened his eyes again and looked Tanaka dead in the eye, his smile vanishing from his face, „Or do you need advice from Daichi, maybe?“  
Tanaka shuddered at the thought and shrunk a little. „No, no we don't..“  
Sugawara's angelic smile flashed over his face again, but instead of seeming friendly, it only underlined his threat. „Allrighty then“, he said, shoving Tanaka and Nishinoya away from the four of us, „back to practice!“  
He shot us a glance over his shoulder, his mouth smiling, but his eyes commanding: „You as well!“

I felt joy and relief overcoming me. We did it. We actually did it.  
„So – at my place then? Friday at 6?“, I asked Kageyama and Hinata. I knew Tsukki was free at that time.  
Both nodded and I gave them my adress before we headed back for practice.

On our way home, I was overjoyed and kind of hopped along next to Tsukki.  
„Can you believe we actually did it??“, I blasted out, „I mean- we are actually doing it! It will work! It has to!!“  
„Stop bouncing, you remind me of one of those shrimps. Besides, there's nothing to be that excited about yet, you literally just invited them“, Tsukki said, for some reason more serious (or annoyed?) than usual. I didn't bother much. I was happy.


	2. Fake Legends and cheap tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukki tells fake tales in a threatening voice, Hinata is scared, Kageyama is quiet af, Yams has internal fangirl attacks over KageHina (I do understand). They finally make it to the house.

Everything went according to the plan. 

 

Well, most of it.

 

The four of us spent the time from 6 pm to until dawn watching horror movies and eating pizza, like what one would expect from a regular sleepover. 

As the sun set and the shadows grew bigger, Tsukki turned off the TV and dimmed the light, leaving only a few candles on the living room table to illuminate his face from below, which caused it to transform into a scary mask, enhanced by the devious grin that played around his lips.

_ Well played _ , I thought, smiling to myself,  _you're such a drama queen, Tsukki._

 

I glanced over to Kageyama and Hinata. 

Both were obviously confused by what was going on and also a little bit scared as a result of watching horror movies all evening. As Tsukki started speaking in a deep, creepy voice, Hinata flinched a little and instinctively hid behind Kageyama. _Cute._

 

„Have you ever heard the tale of the lonely man?“, he asked and looked around as if he really expected them to know the story we had come up with only a few days earlier. Kageyama and Hinata shook their heads, while I subtly nodded.

„Do you want to hear it?“, he proceeded. Both answered with a nod, mesmerized. Tsukki really had a hand for building up tension, I had never really noticed that about him before.

 

„Legend has it, that, many years ago, in the times of diseases, torture and witchcraft, where the nights were longer and darker than they are today and the days didn't look any brighter as well, a lonely man lived in a big house, with no one but his maid, a beautiful girl, but way below his status. The maid was only about sixteen years old with a cat-like body and pure, white skin, and silky black hair that fell on her shoulders like a waterfall, but what the man liked most about her was the little beauty mark that playfully decorated her chin.“

 

Tsukki checked Hinatas and Kageyamas reactions for any signs of recognizing the person he practically just described. _Being able to picture a person they know helps the story come across more realistically,_ he had said to me as we came up with the characters in our fake myth. 

I couldn't tell whether those two were imagining Shimizu-senpai or not, but upon seeing their tense faces I decided that it probably didn't matter.

 

„The man watched her clean his house every day and in the evening she prepared food for him and they ate together and she was glad to be with him since he was the most generous and loving master she had ever had, little did she know what his true nature was. Over time they had an air around them that reminded of a married couple, but she never loved him. He felt that and when he found out that she had friends and a lover down in the village, people important to her other than him, he grew jealous, so jealous that he couldn't contain it anymore and he decided to lock her away in his mansion. Days passed, then a week, and she withered away under her now so violently possessive master. Her lover had come knocking on the door of the big mansion twice every day and asked for the whereabouts of his girl, but the man always stated that she wasn't with him. She watched this procedure every day from the window of the tower she was locked in and she noticed that her lover looked thinner and unhealthier with each time he knocked, suffering from neverending sorrow for her. After three weeks she fell on her knees in front of her master and begged in tears for him to let her see her lover one last time, in exchange she'd stay with him forever. As he saw the beautiful, crying girl in front of him, who was willing to give up her own life in order to save her beloved, he was struck with the realization that this wasn't what he wanted, and that he would never win over her heart by force. He sighed and told her to go away, be free and to never come back, no matter what. She was surprised at first, but fled from him quickly and did as she was told. She reunited with her lover and they lived a happy life together.“

 

There was silence. A seemingly endless silence, spiked with big eyes and open mouths and Kageyama looking really unsatisfied.

 

„What happened to the man?“, he asked.

 

„Well… the man.. He drowned in the self-hatred about what he had done to the girl he loved and commited suicide. It was aweful. He put up a rope and hung himself, but instead of dying quickly, it took him three entire minutes until he lost consciousness. And another half until he was finally dead. When a traveler, who sought for shelter from the rain in the big mansion years later, found him, he already was just bits of rotting flesh hanging from a skeleton, but it's said that his eyes were still crying. The traveler took him down and put him to rest properly, but his ghost never really left the earth. Decades after those incidents, a young couple entered the mansion and the man's ghost deemed the couple's love as unhealthy and not strong enough and murdered both. Many couples have entered the mansion and only some, those that showed true love, survived the stay. They report hearing a crying man when he is still far away and a death rattle when he is close, one that makes you freeze to the bone and that sends a shiver down your spine. They say he puts you to the test, whether you are willing to give up your life for your significant other or not. He will brutally murder anyone who fails his test by putting a rope around their neck and dragging them through the house until they are dead.“

 

Tsukki closed his eyes, visibly enjoying how well he managed to strike fear into Kageyama and Hinata, who listened to the whole last part of the story with clenched fists.

He sighed and opened his eyes again, turned on the light and blew out the candles.

 

„However, this is just an old wive's tale, right? Who believes in ghosts these days anyways, right?“, he stood up and left the room.

 

„Where are you going, four-eyes?“, Kageyama demanded.

 

„We are going make the lonely man less lonely, of course!“, Tsukki exclaimed from outside of the living room. His face appeared in the frame of the door once again. „Come on! Or... are you by any chance scared…? The allmighty king and his shrimp, scared because of a silly legend. Wow.“, with these words, he disappeared once again.

 

As if stung by a wasp, both jumped up from their places and sprinted after Tsukki, yelling things like „Of course I am not scared, bastard!“ and „Wanna fight, huh??!“.

 

I chuckeled. _They are so easy to manipulate! This whole matchmaker thing is going to be a piece of cake!_ I let out a faint laugh and got myself moving as well, following Tsukki, Hinata and Kageyama out into the cold, dark night.

 

***

 

Located at the edge of a forest and a bit outside town, the old, derelicted mansion embodied the perfect place for our little well-intentioned devilry. Of course, the story about the man and his maid was totally made up. The real former owners were just some old, rich people who died and whose heirs lived overseas and didn't care about – or probably weren't even aware of – the existence of this mansion. Well, good for us - since our plan had higher chances of succeeding the higher the level of spookiness was. 

We prepped the house with a variety of objects fitting the legend, dirtied the whole place up a bit and even added some small but effective mechanisms; our perfect setup was perfectly set up and the show about to begin.

 

Tsukki shot me a meaningful glance and simultaneously we pushed open the heavy doors. With a gruesome squeak both valves swung open and exposed the great entry hall with its doors on the left and the right and the two massive stairs connecting ground- and first floor.

We stepped in, an awestruck aura around us: Straight ahead towered a life-sized statue of a woman gracefully holding a basket full of grapes, her beauty seemingly lightening up the whole building.

 

„Whoa!!“, exclaimed Hinata, rushing past us and dashing into the hall, forgetting all his fear, „This place is HUGE! And it repeats my words! Rad! Amazing!“

 

„That's called an echo.“

 

Hinata seemed startled and slightly offended. „I know that!“

 

„Don't forget that this place is supposed to be haunted...“, said Tsukki, an almost undetectable smirk around the corner of his mouth – and I knew why. Outside of Kageyama's and Hinata's field of vision he had brought out his cell phone, one finger hovering above the play button of the audio we had prepared. As he pressed it, a soft and distant crying noise echoed through the building, loud enough to be heard, but easily mistakable for something else. Even though I knew that the sound had been produced by the speaker we hid in a neighboring room, it still put a shiver down my spine.

 

Kageyama and Hinata didn't know about the speaker and were exponentially more scared and I somehow enjoyed the sight of Hinata hiding behind his boyfriend. 

 

…

 

_He's_ _NOT_ _his boyfriend, Yamaguchi, when will you UNDERSTAAAAND, oh my god. He hides behind_ _literally_ _anyone when he is scared._

 

_ But with Kageyama it's special. Kageyama is special to him. _

 

_ What even- _

 

„Stop smiling to yourself like this, it looks creepy.“

 

I snapped out of it. „Sorry, Tsukki.“

 

Tsukki stepped up to Kageyama and Hinata and grabbed both by one shoulder. Lowering his head to match their height, he grinned and whispered: „Uhhh… Are you scared already?“

 

„D- Didn't you HEAR THAT?!“, Hinata exclaimed, his fist clenched into Kageyamas T-shirt.

 

„What? Oh – you mean… The wind? This is an old building, you know? Is lil-shrimpy scared already? By a little tiny wind?? What do you think Yamaguchi, should we head home? This little boy seems to be too afraid of some weeny breeze to stay here!“, he grinned at me.

 

I didn't respond and just kind of gave them a half smile. Hearing him talk like that, with his height and his threating aura, that grin on his face; all in all, he could have passed for an actual bully. And yet, for some reason, he didn't choose to be one. What was it that made him so different from those guys? It wasn't like he didn't have any power over them. He could probably make them all grovel in the dirt with just a glance, but he didn't. Why was that? As much as I admired him not greatly abusing his power, I had to admit, in situations like these, he was pretty effective.

Hinata had a devoted, wild look in his eyes, a mixture of fear and anger, somehow forming unbreakable determination, all thanks to Tsukki.

 

Oh, and he knew how to use his power. 

„Now that you two seem to have overcome your fear“, he grinned, „How about we play a little game?“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took some time.... But the good thing is that I have the plot planned out now! :3 If you have any advice on writing or on grammar or anything pleeaaase let me know! Especially if there is anything I could do better! Your support means so much to me. <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I am writing anything really and english is not my first language, so please bear with me.  
> Thank you so much for reading this first chapter, it means a lot to me. Please comment if you find typos or expressions that don't fit, so I can correct them. :)


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